Mother’s Day Concert at First Congregational Church of Danbury

(DANBURY, CONN.) The First Congregational Church of Danbury will present a Mother’s Day concert on Friday, May 12. The event will feature the renowned tenor Daniel Rodriguez, who is also known as the “Singing 9/11 Policeman.”

Rodriguez will perform popular favorites from the American songbook. The show features his soaring tenor voice, as well as snippets from his life as a tenor and a former New York Police Department officer.

Tickets are $20 in advance through Eventbrite. Tickets will also be available at the door for $25, cash or check only. The doors will open at 7 p.m. and the concert will begin at 7:30. The First Congregational Church is located at 164 Deer Hill Avenue.

Before He Became the ‘9/11 Singing Policeman’

Daniel Rodriguez, the Brooklyn-born, now-retired police officer, was born into a musical family. His father and grandfather were tenors, and other family members played several musical instruments. Rodriguez’ music training began when he was 10 years old. In his teen years, he was assistant director at the American Youth Repertory Company in Manhattan, and he performed in Carnegie Hall Del Terzo recital hall at age 16.

When he married age at age 19, he put his music aspirations on hold and took a series of jobs. He quips that long before he became the “Singing Policeman,” he was known as the “singing short-order cook,” the “singing taxicab driver” and the “singing postal worker.”

Rodriguez joined the New York Police Department and eventually became one of the designated National Anthem singers in the NYPD's ceremonial division. In the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, he received widespread attention with his rendition of "God Bless America," which he sang at memorial events and on television.

This exposure led to an offer of formal training from Plácido Domingo. Rodriguez has since retired from the NYPD in order to focus on his successful singing career. He has recorded numerous albums and appeared as lead tenor in several operas. He regularly appears in support of his chosen charities, as well as performing a full domestic and international concert schedule.

About the First Congregational Church of Danbury

Programs at the First Congregational Church of Danbury include Family Nights that feature a rotating schedule of movies, trivia games and karaoke. We also sponsor a non-denominational Children’s Community Chorus that is open to all Danbury area children from second grade through high school-ages.

Our sanctuary is an affordable and sought-after concert venue that features regular performances from the Danbury Music Centre, the Connecticut Master Chorale and the Mad Hatter Chorus.

Founded in 1696, the First Congregational Church of Danbury is a community of people who have come together to serve God the way that Jesus did -- by working to make God’s vision of a peaceful, just and inclusive world a reality.

The church is a member of the United Church of Christ denomination, which believes that God is still speaking in ways that are grounded in ancient Christian understandings, but which are fresh expressions of the Divine presence in contemporary life.

Learn more about the First Congregational Church at www.DanburyChurch.org, Facebook (www.facebook.com/DanburyChurch) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/@FCDanbury4201).